PESHAWAR: President of the Local Councils Association Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Mayor of Mardan, Himayatullah Mayar, has announced to hold an All Parties Conference (APC) in Peshawar tomorrow, Tuesday at 2 PM.
The move comes amid growing frustration among local government representatives over what they describe as the continued usurpation of their constitutional powers by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government.
Speaking at a news conference in Peshawar, Mayar Mardan said the APC aims to unite all political parties to restore authority to elected local representatives and ensure basic services are delivered effectively at the grassroots level in the province.
“For 13 years, the PTI government in KP raised slogans about empowering local governments, but in fact, the opposite has happened,” said Mayar. “The responsibilities of MNAs and MPAs do not include building roads and streets; that is the job of local bodies.”
Mayar accused the ruling party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), of deliberately paralysing the local government system after losing majority support at the grassroots level. “Following the 2021 local government elections, which were only held after legal intervention through writ petitions, the government began to strip local representatives of their powers,” he claimed.
He further alleged that despite being elected, local bodies have been denied their share of funds, and key functions enshrined in the Local Government Act and the Land Use and Building Control Act have been taken away.
“Through changes in Section 2 of the Local Government Act, all major functions have been taken away from us. The government talks about the Constitution and law, but they don’t implement it,” Mayar said.
He criticised Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, calling him a “false Chief Minister leading a false government,” and claimed that promises made during meetings with him have not been fulfilled. “We even staged a peaceful protest at Assembly Chowk, but were met with tear gas and repression,” he added.
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Mayar called for all political parties to join hands in tomorrow’s APC to demand restoration of local governments’ powers and true implementation of the Constitution.
“We have been powerless for the past three and a half years. Legislation is being used to shift our authority elsewhere. It is time all political forces come together to reclaim the rights of the people at the grassroots level,” said Himayatullah Mayar.
The All Parties Conference is expected to be attended by a broad spectrum of political leaders, as concerns grow over the autonomy and effectiveness of local governments in KP.
